novicenurse123

Thank you all sooo much for taking the time to reply! It seems that you all love being NICU nurses, and all I really want is to be able to say that I love what I do! I told the recruiter that I choose the NICU and I have an interview and shadow experience on Dec 11th :) .. keeping my fingers crossed!

Hi everyone! I have been a pool nurse for a little over a year, working about 36hrs a week at a small community hospital. I mainly work on medical surgical units that are telemetry, but I've also worked on the observation unit, bariatric, stroke, psych, and rehab units. I usually have a 6 patient assignment, and have had 7 patients at least 3 times in the past year. We are constantly understaffed ( in every department, not just nursing) so the morale is really low. I think my job is very task oriented, and do not feel like I am learning much. I do not feel valued because I am constantly pulled during shifts and tend to have the highest acuity, most confused, and most needy patients. I am ready to move on to an area of nursing where I can grow and not have to literally give myself a pep talk before I walk in the door because I know I'm going to be taken advantage of. I just applied to CHOP & have received a call back 😁. I applied to both the NICU and PICU. I understand that the NICU has patients that are 0-6 months and congential anomalies are commonly what brings them there. PICU seems to be more diverse as the ages range from 6months to 18 years. I was asked to figure out which ICU I'd prefer to work in, but I cannot decide. I would love to work with babies, but I am nervous that I won't feel competent. I felt the same way when I first became a med/surg nurse, but now I am comfortable. I'm hoping I'd feel the same way after orientation and knowing that I have the necessary resources in case I have questions.... because I ask alot! Can any of you both PICU and NICU nurses please describe some common diagnoses you see, what you love about your job, what makes your job difficult or hard to cope with? I really just want some insight before I blindly choose one! Thank you!!

Thanks for posting everyone! It's refreshing :) I would definitely take whatever was offered to me, but I was leaning towards oncology if I have a choice. I appreciate it! Nikki congrats on the VA position !

Hi, I am a new nurse.. I applied to both the oncology unit as well as the ortho/neuro unit. I had a friend call the nurse recruiter to try to pull my resume & was told that my resume was found & passed to the proper people. My friend said I would be getting a phone call from the recruiter.. I doubt I'd have my choice of where to work if I am even offered an interview.. but in the event that I am asked I want to make an educated decision. My old nursing instructor told me that if I work in oncology or telemetry for a few years, anyone would want me because of the experience you gain and because of all the equipment you are exposed to. Can anyone tell me your opinion or offer any insight on either oncology nursing or ortho/neuro?